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CASE
I had the privilege of participating in a school special service — there were no classes but just the assembly — to honor veterans and it was not only touching but so refreshing to see our youngest students recognize the service these men and women do! I thought it was a nice touch to have a "formal" school function on a holiday because if we are honest, most holidays are just used to be off and have fun. There isn't a lot of true thought about what the meaning of the holiday is. The students assembled in their classrooms and then went to the assembly. The program was made up of readings and songs by each grade. Afterwards there were refreshments near a Wall of Honor. The Wall was made up of pictures of veterans from the students families. What a nice way to demonstrate and honor the service of our veterans! It was all over before lunch and so you had the best of both worlds! Maybe your district does something like this, but if not, it might be a worthy discussion!
Well, the election is over! CASE does not take any position on elections but we do encourage our members to vote and be involved. I hope you voted and I hope you will continue to be involved.
To help with that involvement, I think it is very timely for us to release our CASE Legislative Platform. This document was written by our Legislative and Policy Committee. This document was developed under the direction of three P & L chair persons; it started with Phyllis Wolfram (MO), further developed and adjusted by Mike Asip (VA), and finalized under Erin Maguire (VT). CASE has and continues to benefit from a great depth of leadership. Phyllis was elected as our president elect, Mike had to step down as chair, though he will remain on the committee, due to extenuating issues at his office — bet you can relate to that! Erin has stepped in as chair after being very involved on the committee for several years. It is such a wonderful situation to be in to have great leaders who can take on these important jobs as they come along! Thank you to Phyllis for her forward thinking, to Mike for his involvement and thank you to Erin for her willingness to head up this critical committee! The process the committee went through to develop the 2016-2017 Legislative Platform included extensive discussions with CASE members, looking at current situations, and discussing and getting input on the draft with the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.
Speaking of great leadership... CASE has been blessed from the very beginning (1952) with strong leaders. We received news a long time CEC/CASE leader passed away recently, Dr. Landis Stetler. Dr. Landis (FL) was the 1986 CASE Harrie Selznick award winner and was very active in the CEC and CASE organizations. He was also President of NASDSE. We give our sincere condolences to his family and friends. We also want to express to them thanks for loaning him to us so we could benefit from his wonderful leadership all those years!
Speaking of strong leaders... For several weeks I encouraged you to vote in the CEC election. It was a great ballot with amazing candidates. The results are in and we would like to congratulate all the winners but special acknowledgement goes to Laurie VanderPloeg (MI), new president-elect; Dr. Mary Lynn Boscardin (MA) and Dr. Julie Bost (NC), members at large. These ladies will begin their term of office with the CEC Board on Jan. 1. Congratulations!
Sometimes technology is REALLY slower than we like... Our online shopping cart is still down for revision but we do now have the order form on the homepage where you can download it as often as you would like. I am again providing the order form so if you are wanting to order any of our practical resources right now you can! If you have any problems or just need to ask a question, then contact me ASAP!
Registration is up for our 2017 CASE Hybrid. This hybrid is going to be such a great and practical professional learning opportunity for you and your staff. This is a unique opportunity for you to have everyone hear the same thing and then apply to your students and families! Thursday, Feb. 23 will be on Mental Health in the Schools and then Friday, Feb. 24 will be the legal implications of some of the mental health issues as well as a general legal update. So, you need to start getting the logistics lined up for Feb. 23-24. All you need is a big enough room, internet, LCD projector, sound and screen! We don't even mind if you want to charge a registration fee to either cover the cost of snacks/lunch or make money for a school project! We even have HINTS for you to use as you set up your virtual site! OR... you could come to be with us at the point of origin, Clearwater Beach, Florida. Just think about what it will be like the week of Feb. 20 where you live and what it will be like on the warm, white sands of Clearwater Beach, Florida! If you ever attended the CASE Winter Policy Institutes, you might remember the lovely Sheraton Sand Key Resort! Though, the hybrid isn't run the same way, this is still a great location for any meeting in February no matter where you live! The room link is already live so go ahead, start planning that winter get away! This conference format is perfect for maximizing your professional learning dollars since the registration for sites is the same as just one registration! Save the dates now — Feb. 23-24!
Last week's poll asked you to qualify the access to mental health services to your students in your community. The number one answer at 35 percent was average. In second place with 24 percent was poor. In third place at 18 percent was nearly non-existent. Coming in third at 12 percent was slightly below average. Tied for last at 6 percent was excellent and good. Clearly we need to work on the access to mental health services for our students. What a great opportunity for you to invite the community leaders to participate with you during the Hybrid conference this February! I believe you will learn a great deal from both Dr. Navsaria and Dr. VanAcker on what we as the school community can do to assist our students at our 6th Annual CASE Hybrid Conference. Registration is up on the CASE website now!
Luann Purcell
Executive Director
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Need a room for the CASE/NASDSE Joint Conference, Sept. 25-27? Check the CASE website for additional options!
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CASE
This regular update highlights new legal developments of major significance of special education leaders.
As a service to CASE members, this periodic legal alert provides, as a two-column table, highlights and practical implications of major new legal developments. Here are my top three items for this issue of the CASE Weekly Update.
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Restitution is a philosophical framework that provides a different way of looking at crime and criminal justice. It was first used in the criminal justice system to allow people to financially repair the harm they caused. In schools, traditional discipline systems are not very effective in teaching how to resolve conflicts, nor do they teach students how to repair the harm they have caused to relationships. Using this model within schools might be a useful alternative to traditional exclusionary discipline consequences because it can offer a better chance to bring about behavior change and "healing." Preliminary research shows promising outcomes with this approach, resulting in less frequent and severe disciplinary incidents.
Click on the following link for more information on Restitution: (http://k12engagement.unl.edu/restitution). Then click on the red button to download the pdf and read more. Find Strategy Briefs on over forty other topics at: http://k12engagement.unl.edu.
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The Office for Civil Rights
The Office for Civil Rights is pleased to report several new resources related to the 2013-2014 Civil Rights Data Collection. We hope you find the resources useful in your work. The CRDC is a powerful tool that not only enhances OCR's enforcement work, but also informs student, parent, and educator decisions, and helps researchers, advocates and the public to identify and shine a light on systemic concerns.
First, you can access the 2013-2014 school year data on the revamped CRDC Reporting Website. The Reporting Website contains summaries of selected facts, detailed data tables, data analysis tools and special reports for the 16,758 school districts and 95,507 schools that completed the 2013-2014 CRDC. The special reports that are available are focused on discipline, English learners, and educational equity. The data analysis tools allow a user to generate comparison graphs and outcome rate calculations.
Second, using the CRDC, OCR compiled for the first time the names and contact information for the civil rights coordinators (Title IX coordinators, 504/Title II disability coordinators and Title VI coordinators) of virtually every school district in the country. That contact information can be accessed through the Reporting Website above (through the district characteristics page) or at a separate OCR Civil Rights Coordinators Website.
In addition, we have issued an updated First Look document summarizing some of the national trends on key equity indicators as well as an updated Chronic Absenteeism data story. These updates incorporate corrected data OCR received from the state of Florida, submitted on behalf of its school districts, on several data items. Those updated data are also incorporated into the CRDC Reporting Website and the public-use data file, which can be downloaded here. If you have questions about the 2013-14 CRDC, please visit OCR's webpage.
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IES
Three new Data Points released look at trends in reports of bullying, use of hate-related words, and other unfavorable conditions in the nation's schools. The reports from the National Center for Education Statistics, in the Institute of Education Sciences, use data collected in the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey.
Trends in Bullying at School Among Students Ages 12 to 18 shows that the percentage of students who reported being bullied at school declined from 2005 to 2013.
Trends in Hate-Related Words at School Among Students Ages 12 to 18 shows that, from 2001 to 2013, there was a decline in the percentages of students who reported being called a hate-related word or seeing hate-related graffiti at school. Among students who reported being called a hate-related word at school, the percentage of students called a gender-based hate word decreased from 2001 to 2013, while the percentages of those students called hate words based on race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation increased.
Reports of Bullying and Other Unfavorable Conditions at School shows that students who reported being bullied at school also reported other unfavorable school conditions at a higher rate than students who were not bullied. Such unfavorable conditions at school included availability of drugs and alcohol and the presence of hate-related graffiti, gangs, and guns.
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IES
The Institute of Education Sciences has awarded the first four grants in a new research program designed to help states and school districts evaluate the effectiveness of programs, practices, or policies being used in their schools. The low-cost, short-duration evaluations of education interventions and special education interventions are funded by IES' National Center for Education Research and National Center for Special Education Research.
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OSEP
The Education Department released non-regulatory guidance on supporting early learning through the Every Student Succeeds Act to help ensure young children from birth through third-grade get the strong start they need to achieve success in school and in life.
This guidance assists State educational agencies, school districts, schools, outlying areas, the Bureau of Indian Education and community-based organizations in supporting young children's success in school by highlighting how they can:
- expand access to high-quality early learning opportunities;
- encourage alignment and collaboration of early learning programs from birth through third grade; and
- support early learning educators
Early learning is woven throughout the ESSA, as a means of addressing educational equity, supporting students' school success, and bringing greater alignment along the entire education continuum. The ESSA, for the first time, also authorizes Preschool Development Grants, building upon the existing Preschool Development Grant program which has supported 18 states, to ensure more children across the country have access to high-quality preschool.
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MHS has been a leading publisher of scientifically validated assessments for over 30 years. We are proud of the high quality our assessments stand for.
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OSERS
Benetech, the leading nonprofit empowering communities in need by creating scalable technology solutions, announced that over 10 million accessible ebooks have been downloaded through its Bookshare initiative.
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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Homelessness in the United States is a complex and persistent problem. For families with young children experiencing homelessness, the challenges are highlighted based on their unique needs and characteristics. Challenges begin early and without intervention can continue throughout the lives of children experiencing homelessness. Hunger, homelessness, violence and parental attention all affect childhood well-being.
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CEC Policy Insider
As the nation prepares for the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States and the swearing in of the 115th Congress, CEC is positioning itself and working with our partners to continue our strong advocacy for children and youth with exceptionalities and the professionals who work on their behalf. CEC will continue to be at the forefront of all future special and gifted education and early intervention policy discussions. CEC will submit to the President and the Congress bold transition recommendations for children and youth with exceptionalities and the professionals who work on their behalf. CEC's transition recommendations will advocate for issues relevant to CEC members and propose these be adopted as bipartisan goals for the President and the Congress in 2017 and beyond.
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| | HOT TOPIC: SUBJECT LINE FEATURED STORY |
By: Howard Margolis
 Should teachers recommend the promotion of struggling learners to the next grade if they've worked hard but achieved little? The answer is yes, but provide learners with whatever supports they need. Needed supports may well include preteaching, mentoring, cooperative learning, peer teaching, active co-teaching and 1-1 tutoring. For all such learners, it will require individual and group activities, homework and materials at their proper instructional and independent levels.
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Education Week
Over two dozen GOP members of Congress want the U.S. Department of Education to rescind its proposed spending rules for the Every Student Succeeds Act because they contradict and violate the spirit of the law. On Nov. 4, 25 members of the House and Senate wrote to Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. that his department's proposal for the supplement-not-supplant requirement runs counter to the intent of Congress, and "includes additional requirements on [districts] that are unlawful, unnecessary, and could result in harmful consequences to [districts], schools, teachers, and students."
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Houston Chronicle
The Texas Education Agency said that it will stop penalizing school districts for giving special education services to more than 8.5 percent of their students. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Education, state officials vigorously defended a policy that arbitrarily set 8.5 percent as the ideal number, saying the policy was not a "cap," was not meant to save money and did not seriously punish school districts that failed to comply.
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Dallas Morning News
In a nondescript, state-of-the-art lab in Oechsle Hall at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., associate professor of psychology and neuroscience Lisa Gabel monitors her students. Her undergrads are assessing how lab rats negotiate a maze, which is similar to a virtual maze that children will navigate with a joystick on a computer screen. Testing these mice is a forerunner to testing the children, and the specific test that Dr. Gabel has constructed is a groundbreaking one, to be sure.
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Education Week
A new study conducted by the Center for Autism Research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has found that children with autism may be over-diagnosed with ADHD. Teachers and parents who use the screening tool, which assesses children for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, may mistake autism-related social impairments for attention problems, according to the study. This, in turn, could affect the services and treatments that autistic children receive.
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By: Brian Stack
 In quiet New Hampshire, among the beautiful autumn mountain backdrop and the New England seacoast towns, a silent killer known as opioids is making its way from family to family and from community to community. The issue is sending shockwaves throughout the state and leaving family and friends to question themselves on why they couldn't act sooner to save the lives of their beloved who are succumbing to addiction at an alarming rate. New Hampshire's story is not unique.
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ADDitude Magazine
"Hyperactive behavior isn't a choice, but an expression of a brain-based biological disorder." Instead of trying to make kids sit still, help children with ADHD harness that extra energy in creative, productive ways at school and at home.
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Education Week
In high schools across Denver, chemistry teachers are working from a new set of lessons. The topic: "Should the United States say yes or no to nuclear power?" On their way to answering that question, students are asked to learn new scientific vocabulary and concepts, including the difference between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. They're also offered Spanish/English cognates, root words, and a strategy for decoding unfamiliar words alongside worksheets on scientific content.
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The Lawton Constitution
Learning to read is one of the fundamental concepts that schools are expected to teach. But parents of children with dyslexia say public schools in Oklahoma are failing to identify and educate those students. Many turn to expensive private tutoring for the dyslexia-specific lessons their children need, with out-of-pocket costs often running to $10,000 or beyond. The students are at risk of failing the state's third-grade reading test, which requires students who don't pass to be held back. Parents say the stakes are too high to wait for the school to intervene.
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MindShift
Schools are beginning to recognize that arts education is not merely a nice addition to the learning experience, but rather an important vehicle for kids to learn skills that can also be applied to their other academic studies. Arts integration has become increasingly popular because educators are finding that when art is meshed with content learning, students are more engaged and interested. However, some schools have used arts integration as an excuse to sideline trained arts teachers, a mistake if the program is truly going to uphold rigorous artistic standards alongside academic ones.
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ADDitude Magazine
Middle school comes as an academic, organizational shock to children who didn't build good study habits in elementary school. Learn how to sow the seeds of success with these strategies designed for 4th and 5th grade students with ADHD.
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eSchool News
Educators often talk about 21st-century skills and the benefits of incorporating communication, creativity, collaboration, problem-solving and critical thinking into lessons. These are skills students rarely learn straight out of a textbook. The best way to teach them, we've found, is by making these skills a relevant part of their active lives. If that sounds daunting, rest assured, it doesn't always have to be. One way we have taught these skills is through project-based learning, where students apply what they've learned during a hands-on project that is relevant to the real world — and their lives.
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Chalkbeat New York
New data show that New York City is still struggling to provide required services to many of its students with disabilities. About 30 percent of students had to wait longer than the two months allowed under law to be assessed for education plans that outline the services the city is required to provide them, according to data from last school year. Meanwhile, 41 percent of students were offered only partial services required on those plans — or no services at all.
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NPR
It's hard for Zachary Lane to wake up in time for school every day. "I have four alarms set and it still takes me a long time to wake me up," says Lane, a 17-year-old high school junior in Zionsville, Ind. He says he regularly gets detention for being tardy. "I get to school and I'm talked to like I'm attempting to skip school — like I'm attempting to be truant," he says. "I feel terrible. It's awful." And when Lane does make it to class on time, he has a hard time focusing. "I feel kind of like lagging behind myself," he says. "I don't feel totally there." To try to better understand kids like Lane, researchers surveyed 2,017 students in 19 schools in Fairfax County, Va., about a variety of factors related to sleep. They were in seventh to 12th grades.
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By: Bob Kowalski (commentary)
 Now that the Chicago Cubs have ended their 108-year World Series drought, we can take lessons from the team formerly known as America's lovable losers. Perseverance is not the only trait individuals and companies can draw from the Cubs' success. Veteran catcher David Ross, known among his teammates as "Grandpa Rossy," was widely credited with providing mentorship to the young club, something that holds value for organizations beyond sports.
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EdSource
More rigorous standards in math and English language arts have contributed to improved academic achievement for students in many states including in California, a new report asserts. The analysis looked at improvements in test scores from the 2014-2015 school year to the 2015-2016 school year. In 2014-2015, most states took Common Core-aligned tests for the first time. "More than 40 states have maintained high standards, and now that we have multiple years of results with high quality assessments, we can see that higher standards are leading to improved outcomes," said Jim Cowen, executive director of the nonprofit Collaborative for Student Success, which released its report.
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THE Journal
While the latest focus on education transformation seems to be teacher professional development and evaluation systems, a new study has suggested that the teaching environment is just as important. A research team from Brown University and Harvard examined the impact on teacher turnover and student achievement of changes in school climate.
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The Washington Post
Approximately 1.8 million U.S. children were home-schooled in 2012, more than double the number that were home-schooled in 1999, when the federal government began gathering data on national home-schooling trends, according to estimates. The estimated number of home-schooled children represents 3.4 percent of the U.S. student population between the ages of 5 and 17. The increase was fastest between 1999 and 2007, then slowed between 2007 and 2012, according to the estimates from the National Center for Education Statistics.
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Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
Type: Grant Announcement
Program: Education Research and Special Education Research Grant Programs.
Date: Tuesday, March 8
CFDA: 84.305A, 84.305B, 84.305D, 84.305H, 84.305L, 84.305N, 84.324A, 84.324B, and 84.324L
Summary: The central purpose of the Institute of Education Sciences' (Institute) research grant programs is to provide interested individuals and the general public with reliable and valid information about education practices that support learning and improve academic achievement and access to education opportunities for all students. These interested individuals include parents, educators, students, researchers, and policymakers. In carrying out its grant programs, the Institute provides support for programs of research in areas of demonstrated national need.
Competitions in This Notice:
The Institute will conduct nine research competitions in FY 2017 through two of its centers:
The Institute's National Center for Education Research will hold six competitions, one in each of the following areas:
- Education research;
- Education research training;
- Statistical and research methodology in education;
- Partnerships and collaborations focused on problems of practice or policy;
- Low-cost, short-duration evaluations; and
- Research networks.
The Institute's National Center for Special Education Research will hold three competitions, one in each of the following areas:
- Special education research;
- Special education research training; and
- Low-cost, short-duration evaluations.
Deadlines: The dates when applications are available and the deadlines for transmittal of applications invited under this notice are indicated in the chart at the end of the FR notice.
Click here for more information.
Rehabilitation Services Administration
Type: Final Rule
Summary: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA);
Joint Rule for Unified and Combined State Plans, Performance Accountability, and the One-Stop System Joint Provisions
Dates: Final rules announced: Aug. 19.
This final rule is effective: Oct. 18.
Law: Public Law 113-128
Summary: The Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL) (or, collectively, Departments) issue this Joint Final Rule to implement jointly administered activities authorized by title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) signed into law on July 22, 2014. This Joint WIOA Final Rule provides guidance for State and local workforce development systems that increase the skill and credential attainment, employment, retention, and earnings of participants, especially those with significant barriers to employment, thereby improving the quality of the workforce, reducing dependency on public benefits, increasing economic opportunity, and enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of the nation.
FR link: https://federalregister.gov/a/2016-15977
Type: Final Rule
Summary: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA);
Miscellaneous Program Changes
Dates: Final rules announced: Aug. 19.
This final rule is effective: Sept. 19, except the removal of part 388, amendatory instruction 13, is effective on Oct. 1.
Law: Public Law 113-128
Summary: The Secretary amends the regulations governing a number of programs administered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) to implement changes to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Act) made by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, signed on July 22, 2014. The Secretary also implements changes to the Act made by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, signed on Aug. 7, 1998, that have not previously been implemented in regulations, and otherwise updates, clarifies, and improves RSA's current regulations.
FR link: https://federalregister.gov/a/2016-16046
Type: Amended Regulations
Summary: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA):
State Vocational Rehabilitation Services program;
State Supported Employment Services program;
limitations on use of subminimum wage.
Dates: These regulations are effective: September 19, 2016, except for amendatory instructions 2, 3 and 4 amending 34 CFR 361.10, 361.23, and 361.40, which are effective Oct. 18.
CFDA: State Vocational Rehabilitation Services program: 84.126A
State Supported Employment Services program: 84.187
Summary: To implement the changes to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Act) made by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Secretary amends the regulations governing the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services program (VR program) (34 CFR part 361) and State Supported Employment Services program (Supported Employment program) (34 CFR part 363). In addition, the Secretary updates and clarifies prior regulations to improve the operation of the program. Finally, the Secretary promulgates regulations in new 34 CFR part 397 that implement the limitations on the payment of subminimum wages to individuals with disabilities in section 511 of the Act that fall under the purview of the Secretary.
FR link: https://federalregister.gov/a/2016-16046
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